If we could make it a full year without one or more of our kids having to go to the hospital that would be great. Last year we spent a month with our babies in the NICU. We nearly made it to the one year mark since then without a hospital stay but then last Thursday happened. Now The Boy is in the hospital after having his appendix rupture. After last year hospital stays feel fairly normal.
You get used to seeing your kids poked and prodded by strangers. You get over the awkwardness of feeling dumb and having to ask a thousand questions. When your kid is involved you become willing to look like a complete idiot rather than deal with not knowing what the hell is going on. You find out who your true friends are by seeing who is willing to brave the discomfort to try and give you a hug and put a smile on your face.
You learn about yourself. How strong you are. How to avoid boredom. How to slow the hell down and be quiet. You learn that you can love your children around the tubes and wires and beeps. The wires go from being all you can see to just being an accessory to your child. You learn that you are capable of being a fierce advocate for your babies.
These are the times when you truly realize that you love your Bonus Kids just as much as you love the children you carried. Tonight I climbed in the bed with The Boy and we watched our favorite youtube channel together. Then we watched and episode of Chopped Kids and FaceTimed The Twins. They got him to smile and laugh just by being themselves. It was the first time he smiled and laughed all day. I’m so glad my kids can do that for each other. Hopefully he gets to come home and play with them soon. Until then we’ll take all the prayers and love we can get. We’ll restart our days without hospital visits count once we bust him out of here.
Mom Van Confessions 